Antidote Cocktail Lounge at Chemist — Restaurant in Asheville

Good drinks can often be difficult to find in the average bar. Antidote, however, is a craft cocktail bar. The difference would be like comparing a Maker's & ginger to a properly made Kentucky Mule. A lot of bars cater to people drinking beer & simple cocktails like Maker's & ginger, gin & tonic, rum & coke, etc. etc. These are all just pretty basic, well known, drinks that consist of whatever alcohol & soda you choose... and that's it. Antidote however creates drinks that are much more complex & delicious! My wife & I each had a couple drinks, plus we sampled each others & they were all really amazing! Not to mention, they also care about presentation. Each one was served in its own unique fashion, some with small flavorful herbs garnishing the top of it, adding to the flavor. Aside from that, the girl that brought us our drinks was knowledgeable about the menu & super friendly! The atmosphere was also really interesting. It has a very old school, antique vibe & felt like we stepped back in time a little. Very beautiful decor with a warm & fuzzy feel to it. There are also several places you can find to sit down & relax. It's a 3 story bar & people tend to move around a lot. There's a small love seat on the first floor, I think I saw a chess board in a little 2 seater nook at the top of the stairs on the second floor plus they have rooftop seating on the third floor. All in all, this was a pretty cool place & it does require being a member but it's...

To set the stage, it's 4th of July and we've been coming here every trip to Asheville for the past 3 years. I get it that many businesses are trying to make the most of the influx of tourists to raise revenue. HOWEVER, after spending well over $100 at your distillery and outside bar on gin drinks, we were informed that you closed the restrooms on that side of your establishment for the day (most likely to drive people to the main building). To use your facilities we needed to pay your cover charge to walk into the main building, even after confirming that we intended to come back outside to your amazing bartender serving cocktails on the side. We were told to "find a porta potty". Not customer friendly, and downright disrespectful to paying customers who had already over tipped your servers. We will no longer be recommending your establishment or spending money there.

Edited after your response* Please tell me that you are joking with your reply. We literally waved at the woman who served us our sample flight of gin in your distillery, who happened to be the same person collecting the cover charge at your front door, as we requested to use your restroom. You absolutely knew that we were guests of your establishment....

My wife and I stopped in a week or so ago while we were in Ashville and really enjoyed the experience. She was there before me, and took part in a tasting at the distillery portion next door, but I went into the bar area, had a seat, and perused the menu.

I wanted to try to stick to mixed drinks that used their own spirits, so I had a Negroni and a Single Malt Old Fashioned to start with, and they were both excellent. I ended things by trying one of their seasonal cocktails - Beeting Heart. I have a love-hate relationship with beets, but I thought I'd give it a go, and it was good, but yeah, beets still aren't my thing!

The staff was welcoming and helpful and the décor throughout was top-notch.

Plus, we picked up a few bottles of their spirits to bring home, and will probably do the same again whenever we're in Ashville. Definitely check this place out if you either want a break from all the breweries in the area or aren't into beer in the first place!

(The review asks me to give a star rating to the food, but as far as I'm aware, they didn't serve food and we did not expect...